Bearing



July 16, 1935. G. B. 'WARREN 2,008,527

BEARING Filed ocp. 2e, 1952 Irjvenoor; Y Glle'rm B. Warren j UNITED sTATlzsI Patented July 16, 1935 PATENT` OFFICE Glenn B. Warren, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application ombelze, 1932, serai No. 639,586 s claims. (ci. aos-134) The present invention relates to bearings and more particularly to the kind of guide and/or thrust bearings for which water is used as lubricant. This kind of bearings is. advantageous in all cases where'the lubricant, that is the water, may come in contact with steam as is the case with bearings for elastic uid turbines.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and'arrangement for a bearing of the kind specified.

According to my invention li provide the bear-v ing with a lining made of fibrous material united by an artificial resin such as a phenolic condensation product.

.Another important'ieature of my invention is that the lubricant for the bearing, that is the water, which at the same time serves asa coolingl medium for the bearing, is used for condensing and carrying away the steam leaking along the shaft of an elastic fiuid turbine. in order to prevent leakage steam from coming into direct contact with the lubricant near the shaft, and particularly to prevent leakage steam from entering the bearing, I provide suitable deflecting or guide means for the leakage steam, as Well as for the lubricantfor guiding both steam and water to a special chamber in which they are mixed and the leakage steam thereby condensed.

Other features of my invention will be morefully understood from a consideration of the following `description and the claims appended thereto in 'connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of my specification.

In the drawing, I have shown by way of example a combined guide and thrust bearing in accordance with my invention. v

The rotary shaft I0 comprises a journal portion II supported by a guide bearing and al1- other portion I2 defining shoulders I3 supported 'by a thrust bearing. In the present instance I have shown the shaft I0 as Vcarrying a bucket wheel I4 of an elastic fluid turbine. The turbine has an outer casing I5 carrying a. portion I6 of a packing for preventing elastic fluid from leaking along the shaft. Another portion Il 'of the packing is fastened to the shaft. The portion Ii, as shown'inthe drawing, is heldby a dove-tail connectionwith the casing I! and is yleldably forced towards the other portion Il by the provision of `springs Il. Such packing may be provided for the high pressure end, as well as the low pressure Aend oi' the turbine.

The guide bearing comprises a pillowblock Il having an upper-and a lower portion split along a horizontal plane through the center ofthe shaft as indicated at 20. The block I9 is supported by a pedestal 2| which in turn is secured to the outer casing I5 by means of bolts 22. A

pipe 23 registering with openings in the pillow block and the pedestal is provided for conducting lubricant to the bearing. `Fastened to the lefthand end of the pillow block by means of bolts 24 is a cap 25 forming a part of thethrust bear ing. The left-hand end of pedestal 2i is closed by a plate 26 fastened to fianged portion El of the. pedestal by means of 'bolts 23. The bearing so far described may be considered typical of any kind of combined guide and thrust bearing.

In order to obtain a satisfactory lubrication and toprevent oily lubricant from coming into contact withleakage fluid and being conducted to the condenser or like point, I provide according to ln'ly invention the bearing with linings made of vfibrous material united by an artificial resin such as a phenolic condensation product, and use water ior. lubricating the bearing. In the present example I have-shown the guide bearing as being provided with a lining 2t held in a recessed portion of the bearing-pillow and .made at least partly of a phenolic condensation product. The

water is supplied through conduit 23 and con'- ducted along and around the journal through grooves 30 in the bearing lining. In a preferred embodiment of my invention I supply water at a pressure of the order of the pressure in the high pressure end of the turbine as in this case the water acts as a sealing means for minimizing the leakage of steam,

'I'he thrust bearing is similarly provided with a lining made of fibrous material united by an artificial resin such as a phenolic condensation product. In the drawing I have shown a lining -c'omprisinga sleeve 3| and two ring members 4l2 land 33.

'leaking through the packing is deflected outward-l ly and thus substantially prevented from entering the bearing. 'I'he leakage steam together with vthe water 'are collected in a. chamber 35 defined between the outer turbine casing and the bearing, in which chamber the leakage steam is conetv densed by the water. The water with the conf densate is drained from the chamber through a pipe 36 which serves to carry the uid to a suitable point, such as a condenser, not shown. Between the bearing lining and the pillow block of the guide bearing I provide heat insulating means such as mica rings on plates lsu for diminishing the heat' transfer from the shaft to the pillow block. For the thrust bearing I have shown similar heat insulating means 25a.

In order to obtain a sufficient circulation of lubricant through thethrust bearing I provide g a conduit 3l at the left-hand end of the bearing for draining a portion of the lubricant through the outer end'of the thrust bearing. The annular ring members of the lining for the thrust bearing have recesses or grooves 38 for securing an easy new of lubricant to the surface of the thrust bearing. The amount of lubricant `conducted through the thrust bearing can be regulated by the provision of a valve means 39 in the conduit 3l. lt will be readily seen that closing of the valve. means permits less lubricant to be drained through conduit 3l whereby more lubricant is supplied to the chamber 35, and vice versa.

'What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, iszl. ln an elastic fluid engine, an outer casing, a .rotatable shaft, a bearing for supporting the shaft, a packing between the shaft and the casing for minimizing the leakage of elastic fluid along the shaft, the bearing including a lining made of 'fibrous material and an artificial resin uniting the nbrous'material, means for conducting lubricating water to the bearing, a deector between the bearing. and the packing for preventing leakage nid from entering the bearing near the shaft and a chamber defined between the bearing and the casing for receiving leakage uid from the engine and water from the bearing to condense the leakage fluid.

2. in an elastic fluid turbine having a casing andl a shaft extending through the casing, a bearing for supporting the shaft being fastened to the casing, the bearing having a lining made of flbrousmaterial, means for conducting lubricat- I ing-water to the bearing, means between the bearing and the casing for preventing elastic vfluid leaking along the shaft from entering the bearing, a chamber being defined between the casing and the bearing for receiving leakage uid Vfrom the engine and water from thebearing to condense the leakage fluid, and a drain conduit for the chamber for discharging the mixture of 55 water and condensed leakage iluid.

aooasav 3. In a combined horizontal guide and thrust bearing having linings made at least partly of a phenolic condensation product, means for conducting water to the guide bearing, adjustable means for drainingA a portion of the water from the thrust bearing, a chamber formed at one end of the guide bearing for receiving water from the latter, and other means for draining another portion of the water from the. chamber.

, 4. In an elastic fluid turbine, an outer casing, a rotatable shaft, a. bearing for supporting the shaft, a package between the shaft and the casing for minimizing the leakage of elastic fluid along the shaft, the bearing including a lining made of fibrous material and a phenolic condensation product, means for conducting lubrieating water to the bearing, a deflector between the bearing and the packing for preventing leakage fluid from entering the bearing near the shaft and a chamber defined between the bearing and the casing for receiving leakage fluid from the turbine and Water from the bearing to condense the leakage fluid, the water being conducted to the bearing at a pressure of the order of the elas tice fluid pressure in the high pressure end of the turbine.

.5. in a horizontal combined guide and thrust bearing having linings made of fibrous material and a phenolic condensation product, means for conducting waterto the guide bearing, a chamber communicating with the end of the lguide bearing opposite the thrust bearing to receive water discharged from the guide bearing, adjustable means for draining a portion of the water from the thrust bearing, and other means for draining water from the chamber, and heat insulating means for the linings.

6. In a steam` turbine, an outer casing, a rotatable shaft, a. guide bearing for supporting theY shaft, a packing between the shaft and the casing for minimizing the leakage of steam along the shaft, the bearing having a lining of fibrous material, means for conducting lubricating water t the bearing, a chamber defined between the bearing and the casing for receiving leakage steam from the turbine and Water from the bearing to condense the leakage steam, a cap fastened to the face of the bearing defining an annular Y recess for receiving a collar formed on the shaft, 

